2018 Verizon Fios Internet Review

OVERVIEW

Verizon’s Fios internet service is one of the best money can buy. It’s lightning fast, and thanks to its fiber infrastructure, it’s also reliable. Add in customer service that exceeds the industry standard (and might, dare we say it, actually be good), and it’s easy to see why we highlighted Fios in our best internet service provider and fastest internet provider reviews.

Where Fios falls short is pricing—it can be more expensive than the competition. We think it’s worth the price of admission, but if budget is your primary concern, you might want to look elsewhere.

Verizon Fios prices and plans

Streamlined package choices and no contracts soften the blow to your wallet.

Verizon internet plans are pretty easy to understand. There aren’t a lot of plans to choose from, but the range of speed is good. And the company has finally moved away from the old contract model, so you can forget about those early termination fees. (We hope more providers will).

^{*Prices vary by location}

Recommendations

If you aren’t a heavy internet user, the Fios Internet 50/50 plan is the most economical plan offered. We think forty bucks is a reasonable price for 50 Mbps, and you still get the fast upload speeds Verizon is known for.

If you’re a streaming junky like us, you’ll want something a little faster than the 50/50 plan. While 50 Mbps is plenty to stream Netflix, multiple users will eat it up fast.

The Fios Internet 300/300 plan has you covered here, with plenty of bandwidth for gamers, streamers, and download junkies. In fact, we think Fios is one of the best internet providers around for gaming and streaming.

Verizon Fios service fees

Good news—since Verizon no longer requires a contract for internet-only plans, there is no longer an early termination fee to worry about. You’re free to leave if you don’t like the service for any reason. And you don’t have to pay several hundred dollars to do it.

That means the only major fee to worry about is installation.

• Installation: There is a $99.99 installation fee, which Verizon calls a “setup charge,” associated with activating new service. As with most other providers, you may be able to get this waived by asking nicely—it really just depends on the mood of the sales rep. We say it’s worth a try, at least.

Verizon Fios equipment fees

The router rental fee is $10 per month. This is par for the course with ISPs and not really avoidable, unless you bring in your own compatible router.

You can also buy the router outright for $149 from Verizon if you want to avoid the monthly charge, but this will save you money only if you plan on keeping the service for more than 15 months.

Verizon Fios internet speed and data

If you look at the Verizon Fios plans, you’ll see names like 50/50 and 300/300. That’s meant to indicate both the download speed and upload speed are the same—something unique to fiber services. Verizon tends to make a big deal about this, and honestly you should, too. It means any media sharing you do will be significantly faster than with most other providers (content creators rejoice!).

Actual speed vs. advertised speed

If you read most ISP advertisements closely, you’ll see that when they talk about speed, it’s usually preceded by an “up to.” That’s because the actual speed you experience on the network can vary quite a bit depending on network congestion, infrastructure issues, interference, and other factors. So, how does Verizon’s actual speed measure up?

Well, according to the FCC’s most recent Measuring Broadband America report, all of Verizon’s Fios plans deliver actual speeds above what is advertised.1 The average Fios connection delivered between 106% and 111% of the advertised speed. This isn’t just because of fiber optics, either—to compare, Frontier’s fiber network averaged just 87% of its advertised speed. Verizon’s network really is just that good.

What’s the Verizon Fios data limit?

We also think you’ll be happy with Verizon’s data caps. That’s because Verizon Fios doesn’t have data caps. Yup—all that speed is totally unlimited.

Most other providers still have data caps, and even the high ones like Xfinity’s 1 TB cap can be limiting. With Verizon, you can stream as much Netflix as you want without worry. Do you want to take a week off work and binge all six seasons of Breaking Bad? Knock yourself out. Verizon Fios will enable you.

Verizon Fios customer service and support

Verizon is also killing it in the customer service department. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has rated Verizon as the top provider for three straight years, with a 2017 score of 71.² To put that in perspective, the industry average is 64, and the lowest-ranking provider, Mediacom, scored a 56.

How to handle Verizon’s customer service

Our experience backs up the ACSI findings. We started with the support site and found it fairly easy to navigate. The online chat was responsive, and the representative was helpful in answering any and all questions we asked. And when we called the support line, we were met with a friendly and helpful representative.

Now, we’ve experienced a few cases in the past where Verizon support didn’t seem to keep records of customer interactions between calls, leading to problems on follow-up calls. We can’t speak to how widespread that issue is, but it’s something to keep in mind. If you’re worried it might happen to you, we suggest taking notes during your call with a representative. That way, you can recall details later.

Installation day (seriously it’ll take all day)

If you’re having Fios set up in your home, you’re going to need to clear your calendar for the day. Verizon’s helpful installation documents inform you that if your home is pre-wired for fiber connections, setup will take 2.5–4 hours. If your home isn’t wired for fiber (and it probably isn’t), it can take 4–6 hours. Verizon isn’t exaggerating either—it’s been documented time and again that Fios installation takes a long time.³

Get ready to make a new friend because you’ll probably know your technician better than your own family after the appointment is over. The company also provides a checklist of things to have ready before your appointment, and we’d suggest following it to make things go as smoothly as possible.

The bottom line

With Verizon Fios, consistency is the key word.

Simply put, Verizon Fios is fast, reliable internet service. It isn’t the cheapest around, but it is consistent:

• The speeds are consistently fast.
• The support is consistently good.
• The service is consistently reliable.

It’s hard to argue with that, and we don’t mind paying a little extra for it. Overall, we highly recommended Verizon Fios if you have the budget for it.

Have a question? Ask us.

Did we miss anything? Does your experience with Verizon differ from ours? Let us know in the comments below.

Have a complaint? Make it count and tell the FCC.

If you’re frustrated with your ISP, the best place to lodge a complaint is with the FCC. This is the best way to be heard and actually impact the industry.

Sources

^{1.    FCC, Measuring Broadband America}

^{2.    American Customer Satisfaction Index, Subscription Television Service}

^{3.    Apartment Therapy, 5 Things to Know if You’re Having Fios Installed}